Rotary engine.



P. o. KRGBR.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 27,1907.

902,585.V Patented Nov. 3, 1908. ya

o i y 'I 'y 'j {gj/WM @5MM MQW y ./3. V/Mw FRIEDRICH CARL KRGER, OFHANOVER, GERMANY.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Appcation led May 27, 1907.

Patented Nov. 3, 1908.

Serial No. 375,992.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRIEDRICH CARL KRGER, a subject of the GermanEmperor, and resident of Hanover, Germany, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is aspecification.

In the machines known until now which have a stationary cylinder and awing piston rotating in tangential contact therewith, the good lateral`tightness is obtained by means of special annular segments which areconcentrically engaged into the front surface of the piston drum and arepressed by springs against the front surfaces of the cylinder heads. Thesaid annular segments must exert a constant tightening action not onlyon these front walls upon which they slide continuously, but also on theouter cylindrical sliding surface, if agood tightness is to be obtainedespecially in the corners. The object of this invention is to provide aspecial arrangement for such tightening segments which would respond tothe above requirements. To this effect the tightening member which untilnow has been held at the piston drum by means of a groove is provided atits outer periphery with more or less radially directed teeth and putinto mesh with a similar toothing arranged at the periphery of thepiston drum.

In the annexed drawing, Figures 1, 2 and 3 show cross and longitudinalsections of a rotary steam engine of well known construction andprovided with tightening or packing segments arranged according to thepresent invention. In said figures the packing segments are supposed tohave been removed above the axis of the piston and have not been shownfor sake of clearness and in order to show more clearly the appertainingteeth provided on the piston drum. Fig. 4 shows in detail the specialconstruction of the tightening or packing members; Fig. 5 shows amodified or improved form of the latter, the two latter gures beingdrawn at a somewhat larger scale and showing cross sections of the saidpacking members, as well as of the adjacent parts such as cylinder,wall, piston, and cylinder head. Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are perspectivesectional views of structural features shown in Figs. 1 to 5.

Referring to Fig. 4 the packing segment a having an angular section isheld by its axial wing or flange engaging a groove t arranged in thepiston drum t and receiving therein, as

above stated, the necessary tightening pressure by springs c arrangedbehind the said axial wing. The other flange is provided on its entireperiphery with a large number of radially arranged grooves cl so that atoothing d is produced there which is made by axial shifting to meshwith a similar toothing f, g, arranged on the piston drum and angularlyshifted in a corresponding manner with reference to the first namedtoothing. Owing to this arrangement, the said engagement of packingsegment and piston drum avoids during rotation the formation of a directgap as the latter is divided into a large number of sections which arealternately shifted with reference to one another. Behind each sectionalgap is always a plain tooth side which is tightly engaged with thecorresponding supposite tooth side, thus preventing the tangentialpassage. The steam can only be forced through the gap by making aroundabout way t'. e. along the toothing. The division of the latter isfurthermore chosen as small as possible so that at the place of contactbetween the drum and the cylinder i. e. at the tightening place r, thesmall channels which are theoretically produced in a temporary manner atthe different gaps when transition takes place into the working chamberhave practically no influence.

It is necessary to provide a tightening device constructed in a simpleas possible manner and arranged at the inner joints of the said segmentso that the steam which always penetrates radially into the variousteeth gaps, is prevented from arriving behind the segment and to finallyescape in larger quantities at the inner guiding surface. Fig. 4 shows asectional view of such a construction of the above described packingsegment which responds to the above stated requirements. The generalarrangement of this segment on the wing piston is shown by Fig. 2, lefthand side. The springs used for tightening purposes in this constructioninstead of being axially arranged, are mounted so as to exert a radialaction; in fact, their effect is transformed for axial pressures bycircular inclined planes arranged on the piston drum and on the segmentbehind the toothings the efforts of the said springs being firsttransmitted to a segment engaging like a wedge the said inclined planeswhich are oppositely directed.

In Fig. 5, 7L designates the annular mem- CIT' ber having two beveledsurfaces and receiving theaction of the above said elastic force. Thisannular member is tightly applied on one side to the correspondinglyformed walls of the piston drum and on the other side to the walls ofthe main segment a behind the toothings d, e, f, g. The outwardlydirected elastic forces of the springs c which are radially distributedin a large number over the circumference of the ring h exert in thisarrangement on both sides also reactional pressures which actperpendicularly to the direction of the force proper; the spreadingaction of these pressures produce then the tightness in the axialdirection of the whole structure on the surface of the adjacent cylinderhead. The radial tightness is naturally obtained under the influence ofthe produced lateral pressures exerted on the conical surfaces of thepacking ring 7L. Matters are still simplified. and improved here by thetoothing cut out along the drum periphery and alternately directed aboutperpendicularly to the direction of the opposite inclined surface. VJith a view of utilizing the forces of the same springs as well fortightening purposes at the inner guiding surface the said springs areinserted into the packing ring itself t'. e. between the wedge shapedpacking ring la and that flange of the packing ring a which engages thepiston drum. In this place the tension of the springs act in bothdirections; the force directed inwards is however greater by reason ofits directly acting upon the ring so that the efforts starting from thepoint of support at the incline of the drum, also pressl the packingring in a tight manner against the inner axially rotating guide wall. Itis readily seen that the above described arrangement also suflicientlyprovides for tightness at the said inner guide wall.

Having now fully described my said invention what I claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a rotary engine the combination with the cylinder, the cylinderheads and the rotary iston drum tangentially mounted inside tie saidcylinder, of a packing ring (a) arranged at each of the extremeperipheral edges of the said piston drum and having a radially and anaxially directed flange, the radial flange being adapted to contact withthe inside surface of both the cylinder and the corresponding cylinderhead, a concentric circular groove arranged in each of the extremesurfaces of the said piston drum and adapted to receive in slidingengagement the said axial flange of the corresponding packing ring, atoothing composed of radial triangular teeth provided on the inner sideof the radial flange of the said packing ring, a toothing formed ofsimilar radial triangular teeth provided on the corresponding extremesurface of the said piston drum between the peri heral edge and the saidconcentric groove of the latter and adapted to coperate in interlockingengagement with the toothing of the said packing ring, and a pluralityof buffer springs inserted between the bottom of the said groove and theaxial flange of the said packing ring and adapted to yieldingly pressthe latter against the surface of he adjacent cylinder head,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. ln a rotary engine the combination with the cylinder, the cylinderheads and the rotary piston drum mounted inside the said cylinder intangential engagement with the inside wall of the latter', of a packingring (a) arranged at each of the extreme peripheral edges of the saidpiston drum and having a substantially radially directed flange and asubstantially axially directed flange, the said radially directed flangebeing ada ted to con- 3 tact with the inside surface of bot the cylinderand the adjacent cylinder head, a concentric circular groove provided ineach of the extreme surfaces of the said piston drum and adapted toreceive in sliding engagement the said axial flange of the packing ring,a concentric inclined annular surface on the inside of the said radialflange of the packing ring, an inversely directed inclined concentricannular surface on the adjacent extreme surface of the said piston drumand adapted to form with the first named annular surface a triangularchannel, a toothing formed of substantial radial teeth provided on theinner side of the said radial flange of the packing ring outside of theinclined annular surface of the latter, a toothing formed of substantialradial teeth provided on the corresponding extreme surface of the saidpiston drum outside the said inclined surface of the latter and adaptedto coperate in interlocking engagement with the toothing of the saidpackincr ring, a wedge shaped packing ring arranged inside the saidinclined surfaces and adapted to engage the said annular groove formedby 11@ the latter and a plurality of radial springs adapted toyieldingly push towards the periphery the said wedge shaped packingring, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a rotary engine the combination with 115 the cylinder, thecylinder heads and the rotary piston drum mounted inside the saidcylinder in tangential engagement with the inside wall of the latter, ofa packing ring (a) arranged at each of the extreme peripheral 120 edgesof the said piston drum and having a substantially radially directedflange and a substantially axially directed flange, the said radiallydirected flange being adapted to contact with the inside surface of boththe cylin- 125 der and the adjacent cylinder head, a concentric circulargroove provided in the adj acent extreme surface of the said piston drumand adapted to receive in sliding engagement the axially directed flangeof the said 130 packing ring, a concentric inclined annular surfaceprovided en the inside of the radial flange of the said packing ring ata certain distance from the periphery ofthe said ange, an inverselydirected inclined annular surface concentrically arranged on theadjacent extreme surface of the said piston drum and adapted to formwith the said annular inclined surface of the radial packing ring flangea triangular channel having its apex directed outwardly, a teethingprovided en the inner side of the said radial flange of the packing ringbetween the said inclined surface and the periphery thereof and formedof teeth arranged substantially at right 'angles with reference to thesaid inclined surface of the said adjacent extreme surface of the pistonhead, a teething provided on the said extreine surface of the pistonhead between the annular inclined surface and the outer peripherythereof and formed of teeth arranged substantially at right angles withreference to the inclined surface of the said radial flange of thepacking ring and adapted to ceoperate in interlocking engagement withthe teething of the said radial flange, a wedge shaped acking ringhaving its apex directed outwardly and arranged inside the said inclinedsurfaces and adapted to fit into the annular groove formed by the saidinclined surfaces and a plurality of radially arranged springs bearingat their outer ends against the inside of the said wedge shaped packingring and at their inner ends against the outside of the said axiallydirected liange of the angularly shaped packing ring and adapted teyieldingly push the said wedge shaped packing ring outwards,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twowitnesses.

FRIEDRICH CARL KRGER.

Witnesses:

BENJ. J. FULLER, ROBERT V. BLoW.

